I have a pretty well shot up FN mauser in 30-06. I am thinking of picking up a barrel from midway (or any suggestions) and sending it off to be finished. Alternately I may just send the whoel barreled action out to be re-barreld and fit. Any suggestions on who to use for this and what it may cost. The rifle has sentimental value and this would be a good way to keep it and make it usable for what I want.
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Mauser re-barrel
- Thread starter BoogieMan
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Am I going to save anything by removing old barrel and installing new? Or will it have to be re-moved again to finish chamber/headspace?
Any recommendations on a smith that can do a nice job and do a nice re-blue"?
How about determining the contour and length for the new barrel? I think I will stick with 30-06. I would like to use it to see how far I can reach out. I was able to shoot a decent ba 30-06 this weekend and found out im capable of sub 1" groups. If I had a rifle that would make those groups I think I could stretch out a bit.
Any recommendations on a smith that can do a nice job and do a nice re-blue"?
How about determining the contour and length for the new barrel? I think I will stick with 30-06. I would like to use it to see how far I can reach out. I was able to shoot a decent ba 30-06 this weekend and found out im capable of sub 1" groups. If I had a rifle that would make those groups I think I could stretch out a bit.
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oldgunsmith
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E.R. Shaw can supply & install the barrel and blue the whole gun in one trip.
If the headspace is ok in the original barrel (if you have shot out the throat we'd have to assume it is) you can send the old barrel in to a good gunsmith and have it copied, right down to the depth of the chamber, so the headspace would be exactly the same.
The contour would be very close (it's best to make the new one about .010" oversize so you can use a dowel and sandpaper only to "inlet” it perfectly, or go larger if you’d like)
All you’d have to do is screw it in.
I have done this kind of work many times for customers in other states who don’t want to mess with shipping to an FFL and jumping through the hoops. A barrel is not regulated by state of federal law.
If the old barrel has sights on it you’d need to sweat them on the new barrel when it gets back to you and after it’s screwed into the action. Then you need only clean up the solder and blue it .
If the barrel is stainless you need not blue it at all
On a Mauser you can expect to pay about $150 for the work plus the price of the barrel.
That would be for threading, chambering/headspacing, contouring crowning and polishing. Add that to the price of the new barrel of your choice, plus shipping both ways and you have an approximate total
The contour would be very close (it's best to make the new one about .010" oversize so you can use a dowel and sandpaper only to "inlet” it perfectly, or go larger if you’d like)
All you’d have to do is screw it in.
I have done this kind of work many times for customers in other states who don’t want to mess with shipping to an FFL and jumping through the hoops. A barrel is not regulated by state of federal law.
If the old barrel has sights on it you’d need to sweat them on the new barrel when it gets back to you and after it’s screwed into the action. Then you need only clean up the solder and blue it .
If the barrel is stainless you need not blue it at all
On a Mauser you can expect to pay about $150 for the work plus the price of the barrel.
That would be for threading, chambering/headspacing, contouring crowning and polishing. Add that to the price of the new barrel of your choice, plus shipping both ways and you have an approximate total
With all respect to Wyosmith, I would never assume that a replacement barrel will headspace correctly just because the old one did, or even assume that the old one did. Without the receiver, there is no way to take the state of the bolt lugs and lug seats into consideration. If the original rifle was already over the line on headspace, there is no way to know that from the barrel alone, so copying it would leave the rifle with the new barrel as bad off as the original.
Jim
Jim
Midway barrels, like every one else new replacement barrels are short chambered and will require final chambering and headspaced to your action.
Don't go by what the maker says either, measure it.
For example I just received a new barrel for a M1903a4 build. It was suppose to be chambered 0.020 short. I just measured it. It's 0.033 short meaning I'm going to have to run the reamer in another 0.033 to get to close on a GO gage, not hard, you just have to pay attention.
Don't go by what the maker says either, measure it.
For example I just received a new barrel for a M1903a4 build. It was suppose to be chambered 0.020 short. I just measured it. It's 0.033 short meaning I'm going to have to run the reamer in another 0.033 to get to close on a GO gage, not hard, you just have to pay attention.
You are correct James K. Which is why I started my post the way I did.
However in rifles with excessive headspace your brass life is very short and it's unlikely that most men can fire a rifle enough to shoot out a throat with factory ammo unless they are quite wealthy. Also with that much shooting it usually becomes obvious to the rifles owner that the chamber is loose by examination of the fired brass.
But your point is valid.
Before such work is done the headspace should be checked and measured in the old barrel.
In fact, it can be set tighter if the old one is on the loose side of mil-spec.
I have done that many times myself.
If for example you have a set of specs that is + or - .006" and your headspace is .005" I can easily set it to .002" and that gives the new barrel a slightly shorter and tighter chamber, but still within spec. (so can any good smith) Such a new barrel can be more accurate and will also give much better brass life to the reloader.
However in rifles with excessive headspace your brass life is very short and it's unlikely that most men can fire a rifle enough to shoot out a throat with factory ammo unless they are quite wealthy. Also with that much shooting it usually becomes obvious to the rifles owner that the chamber is loose by examination of the fired brass.
But your point is valid.
Before such work is done the headspace should be checked and measured in the old barrel.
In fact, it can be set tighter if the old one is on the loose side of mil-spec.
I have done that many times myself.
If for example you have a set of specs that is + or - .006" and your headspace is .005" I can easily set it to .002" and that gives the new barrel a slightly shorter and tighter chamber, but still within spec. (so can any good smith) Such a new barrel can be more accurate and will also give much better brass life to the reloader.
If you're rebarreling, headspace needn't be checked against the old barrel. Rather, it will be measured from the bolt face to the receiver face (which should be faced off to ensure that it is true). That distance, minus .002" for crush depth, determines how far to insert the reamer into the new barrel.
A decent gunsmith should be able to give you match (minimum) headspace. The "go" gauge should just close easily.
A decent gunsmith should be able to give you match (minimum) headspace. The "go" gauge should just close easily.
FWIW, any Mauser I deem a candidate for a rebarrel would positively need to have the chamber final reamed & headspace checked, because I would heartily recommend the locking lugs & recess' be lapped & the bolt face trued, as long as it was going to be apart for the rebarrel anyway.
One just never really knows what shape they're in, until the old barrel's "off" an old Mauser.
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One just never really knows what shape they're in, until the old barrel's "off" an old Mauser.
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oldgunsmith
New member
I always check the lugs with Dykem blue. If they appear to be bearing evenly I don't mess with them. If not, I lap as necessary to get them even.
Hi, Wyosmith,
Now I am puzzled. What does "shooting out the throat" have to do with excess headspace? Excess headspace (aside from some kind of tampering) almost ALWAYS results from wear or compression of the bolt lugs and/or the bolt seats*. That is why I don't know how one could make a new barrel to proper headspace using the old barrel alone. Even if a gunsmith could set up the new barrel to exactly the same dimensions as the old one, how could he know the condition of the rifle without having the receiver and bolt?
*In some rifles, like the Lee-Enfield, receiver bending/stretching can also cause excess headspace, but that is not common.
Jim
Now I am puzzled. What does "shooting out the throat" have to do with excess headspace? Excess headspace (aside from some kind of tampering) almost ALWAYS results from wear or compression of the bolt lugs and/or the bolt seats*. That is why I don't know how one could make a new barrel to proper headspace using the old barrel alone. Even if a gunsmith could set up the new barrel to exactly the same dimensions as the old one, how could he know the condition of the rifle without having the receiver and bolt?
*In some rifles, like the Lee-Enfield, receiver bending/stretching can also cause excess headspace, but that is not common.
Jim
oldgunsmith
New member
Agree with 4V50 Gary and kraigwy.
oldgunsmith
New member
If you find a gunsmith who would agree to make you a barrel that someone else he doesn't know is going to install, but the headspace will be right, I would doubt his judgment.
Throat erosion has nothing to do with head space EXCEPT when it comes to setting back the barrel, then of course the rifle needs to have a reamer run through it and re-headspaced.
When I'm building a target ( bolt gun) rifle I make a bit longer then need so I can extend barrel life by setting it back.
That may be an option for the OP instead of buying a new barrel.
When I'm building a target ( bolt gun) rifle I make a bit longer then need so I can extend barrel life by setting it back.
That may be an option for the OP instead of buying a new barrel.
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